


dates

by spookykingdomstarlight



Category: Star Wars (Marvel Comics), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, False Identity, Flirting, Kissing, One Night Stands, Pre-Star Wars: A New Hope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-08-11 05:02:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16469273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spookykingdomstarlight/pseuds/spookykingdomstarlight
Summary: Aphra scanned the room quickly and nodded. It would’ve been hard to miss him; the way he was staring at Aphra’s mystery woman was enough to pick him out and make him a target. Narrowing her eyes, she looked away and tried to keep her lips from compressing into a frown. It wasn’t like she could blame the guy for staring. The woman was gorgeous and couldn’t hide the regalness of her bearing. It was alluring. She was alluring. Made Aphra want to learn everything about her and more. “I do,” Aphra said finally, once she realized she hadn’t actually answered the woman.“He’s been a rather persistent thorn in my side all night,” she replied, “and I very stupidly told him I was here for a date.”





	dates

**Author's Note:**

  * For [olio](https://archiveofourown.org/users/olio/gifts).



“You look like a nice girl,” a warm, low voice said from somewhere in the vicinity of Aphra’s ear, the soft curve of her lip brushing against the shell. Unexpected as the touch was, Aphra couldn’t help but fail to suppress a shiver. It’d been a while since she’d been this close to a woman who wasn’t immediately trying to kill her—in that respect, Sana definitely didn’t count—and she couldn’t deny feeling a little something at the proximity. It should, perhaps, have been said, but Aphra was well known to be as shameless as they came. So instead of doing the rational thing, like leaning away, she did the opposite.

“Oh?” she replied, a little coquettish, and batted her eyelashes as she tipped her head back to get at least a glimpse of her savior for the evening. Stars, but she loved Alderaan. It was only some place as magical as this planet where something like this would happen. “Tell me more. I do so love a good compliment. Especially when it’s about me.”

The woman huffed, the sound of it like good whiskey, full of depth. If Aphra could, she would make her laugh again. That would be her goal for the evening, she thought, and could not imagine a more noble one. Even the twist of her smile was enough to send a flutter of anticipation through Aphra. It was imperious, impervious, beautiful and charming and everything that Aphra didn’t know how to be all at once.

It didn’t matter that the woman clearly wanted something from her; if it was within Aphra’s power, she would give it. “Do you see that man over there?” she asked, casual, her eyes finding the ceiling as she spoke the words. “Pale, red hair, uniform?”

Aphra scanned the room quickly and nodded. It would’ve been hard to miss him; the way he was staring at Aphra’s mystery woman was enough to pick him out and make him a target. Narrowing her eyes, she looked away and tried to keep her lips from compressing into a frown. It wasn’t like she could blame the guy for staring. The woman was gorgeous and couldn’t hide the regalness of her bearing. It was alluring. She was alluring. Made Aphra want to learn everything about her and more. “I do,” Aphra said finally, once she realized she hadn’t actually answered the woman.

“He’s been a rather persistent thorn in my side all night,” she replied, “and I very stupidly told him I was here for a date.”

Aphra’s eyebrow climbed her forehead, but already the gears were grinding away in the back of her mind. “And I look like a nice girl?” she hazarded. The truth was, she looked like a broke college student who might’ve found enough credits for a night out on a bar and maybe a room in the crummy part of town where you only got sonics instead of real water showers. And, honestly. Given that that was exactly what Aphra was, she probably had no room to talk. Minus the student part. She’d already earned out of that particular institution. Spinning on her stool, Aphra insinuated herself between the woman’s legs. “Nice girls go on dates.”

The woman’s eyes lit with mischief. She was a little bit older than Aphra had expected from the sound of her voice, from the brief, flirtatious glimpse of her from before, but that just made it better in Aphra’s opinion. “Nice girls certainly go on dates.”

“Like now for example. I could be on a date.” Aphra tipped her chin up and allowed her smile to widen. In fact, it sounded like an excellent idea at the moment. She glanced back at her drink; she’d been nursing it too long and it’d grown tepid as she brooded. A distraction would be welcome. And the best sort of distraction had always been a beautiful woman. Looking down at the ground in a brief, shy expression, she added, “I’d like to be, I think.”

“Perfect,” the woman replied. Her demeanor grew more casual and even warmer than it already was and her fingertips grazed Aphra’s cheek, intimate, more intimate than Aphra was expecting. Then she pressed a kiss to the same spot. Aphra swallowed. It was more intimate than Aphra was entirely prepared for. She really needed to get out more if something as simple as a touch was enough to tighten her stomach this way, make her go so nervous. “Allow me to buy you a drink in that case.”

The woman lifted her hand to get the bartender’s attention.

“What’s your name?” Aphra asked.

“Breha,” the woman replied, a common enough name on Alderaan, popular with everyone given their queen. Aphra didn’t make a habit of following local politics—or any politics, she had too much work to do, so many ruins to explore—but even she had heard that the queen was an incredible leader.

“Aphra.” She allowed herself to play with the hem of Breha’s shirt, half untucked from the battered, well-loved trousers she wore. Breha’s clothing told all sorts of stories about her and Aphra liked imagining each and every one. Though Breha didn’t wear a blaster, few on Alderaan did, even in their seedier establishments, she was clearly a scoundrel of some sort or other. A trader, maybe, or a smuggler. The newness of the belt she wore suggested she had perhaps come into some money recently. Perhaps that was why she so generously picked up Aphra’s tab. She clearly enjoyed her comforts though. The linen of her shirt was soft, made to last even if it was growing a little thin. It made Aphra want to do something reckless, like pull it off to see what was underneath. Maybe if she played her cards right. “Nice to meet you, Breha.”

Breha inclined her head and stepped just a little bit closer, leaned into Aphra with the pretense of grabbing the drinks the bartender had brought for them. But their eyes met, Breha’s darkening, and Aphra knew it was only a pretense. Breha’s words only confirmed it. “Let’s find some place more private to sit, hmm? I think I saw a booth toward the back.”

Aphra’s night was definitely looking up.

“After you,” she said, all too happy to follow Breha where she wanted to go. She plastered herself against Breha’s back as they squeezed through the crowd. Offering one last look at the man who’d been watching Breha, she smiled. She’d caught his gaze long enough to see that he was climbing to his feet. And then he pushed his way through the crowd and found the exit. “Looks like your plan worked.”

“Plan?”

“Your paramour just left,” Aphra said as Breha settled into the booth. Breha watched her closely and patted the padded bench. Nerves assaulted Aphra, but she was trying to be a better person than she usually was. Breha somehow inspired that in her. If Breha really was only doing this to get rid of him, that task was accomplished. Aphra tried not to be disappointed at the possibility that Breha would leave now that she’d completed her goal, but she had to admit it hurt a bit to think about.

She must really have been lonely if she was acting this hard up about pleasant company. Talk about ridiculous.

“Oh,” Breha replied, as though she’d already forgotten him. Then she smiled, bright, and gestured again for Aphra to sit. “Good. Now I can really enjoy my evening.” Offering a wink, she lifted her drink to her lips and downed a good half of it, her throat working around the liquid. It made Aphra want to place her mouth against it, lick at the long, smooth, elegant line of her neck. Maybe kiss her way down even further.

Instead, she downed her own drink. The entirety of it. And then wished for more. Because she couldn’t do what she really wanted to do here and Breha seemed content to remain, her eyes roving around the room, drinking in the dubious sights like this was a novelty to her. Aphra did the same, tried to see what Breha was seeing. It didn’t look any different than any cantina Aphra had ever been in before. A bit nicer, perhaps, but everything was a little nicer in the Core. And the company was infinitely better, too. Much prettier to look at definitely.

“How do you intend to—” But before Aphra could finish, Breha reached for her, talented lips kissing away Aphra’s words. Even if Aphra couldn’t speak, her mouth suddenly occupied, she still got the answer to her question. She moaned as that clever tongue breached the wall of Aphra’s teeth. With a groan, Aphra shifted as far into the back of the booth as she could get and though Breha couldn’t quite wedge herself between Aphra and the table, she did a damned fine job of trying.

Aphra’s fingers grasped her shirt, hands sliding over the slope of Breha’s chest, not quite indecent, but close enough to it to send a shock of need rocketing through Aphra. That need was so deep and full that Aphra didn’t feel, at first, the rigid nodules that were hidden beneath the fabric. But once she did…

Pulmonodes. Several of them. If she pulled aside the fabric, they would glow under her touch. And Aphra wanted to. So badly. She wanted to touch and taste and feel the stretch of Breha’s skin, wanted to explore the notches of Breha’s clavicles, the arch and dip of muscles.

But there was only one person on Alderaan named Breha who also had pulmonodes.

Aphra may not have been from around here, but she knew a little something about the politics all the same. Couldn’t help it when the galaxy nattered on about the mighty queen from Alderaan, one of the only leaders unafraid to confront the Imperial leadership and often in the news as a result. Her work was impressive, her gall, even more so. There were stories about Breha’s predilections, her willingness to do what she must at all costs. The Empire liked to paint her as a danger to society, but a little recklessness never hurt anyone.

So much made sense in this moment. She’d probably even pinned Aphra as an off-worlder before approaching. Just to make sure her secret might remain hidden.

Who was Aphra to give such a thing away when instead she could have this?

She could take this evening to the grave happily. If Breha needed to blow off steam with a cad, Aphra could happily be her woman. It’d be a good story, even if she never got to tell it.

Smiling, she braced her hands on Breha’s cheeks and pulled her closer.

Maybe it would be a good story especially because she would never get to tell it.


End file.
